


Rough Boys, Doubting Hearts

by gliese581



Category: American Idol RPF, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-15
Updated: 2012-02-15
Packaged: 2017-10-31 05:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/340255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gliese581/pseuds/gliese581
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boys are rough and boys are tumble, but their hearts are filled with doubt. When that doubt gets too much, sparks will fly and the worlds will shudder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rough Boys, Doubting Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Disney Cookleta fic challenge.

  


Allen's underground training ring was dank and cold, but it was quiet, a quality Archie sorely needed in order to think about everything that had happened. There were too many truths, half-truths, and lies swirling around in Archie's head, and he needed to sort them out before heading out to face another horde of Heartless.

Truth: he needed to stop the Heartless. 

Truth: he had finally found Cook and Carly. 

Truth: the Cook he met in battle was not _his_ Cook.

Should he, could he, risk everything to try and reach Cook, who Archie knew was still inside the monster he had fought? That was the million munny question, and Archie couldn’t come up with an answer to that question, no matter how long he stared at the dark, cold walls.

The dark body of Oblivion shimmered into existence when Archie heard unsure footsteps coming down the tunnel. Archie's gloved hand tightened around the hilt of his weapon as an elongated shadow danced along the cave walls.

Archie breathed a sigh of relief, Oblivion disappearing with a burst of light, when Carly came out of the shadows. He tried to smile as Carly tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear and sat down on the cold floor beside him.

"What're you thinking so hard about in a depressing place like this, Archie?" She asked, after examining Archie's face.

A half-hearted attempt at a smile crossed Archie's face, but it faded when Carly leveled her eyes on him. Carly always knew when he was lying, so Archie didn't even try. 

Archie told her everything that had happened during her long, deathly slumber. How Cook had joined the Heartless on Destiny Island. How he had traveled across countless worlds, looking for Cook and how _Cook_ grew single-minded towards whatever clouded goal he was after.

A sharp jolt of pain shot through Archie's heart when he got to the part about the _thing_ with Cook's face ripping out his heart. As always, Carly listened until Archie ran out of words to express everything he wanted to say, what he wanted to impart to her.

"You really care about Cook, don't you Archie?"

It was either sheer exhaustion or Carly's presence that made Archie reply with just a truthful, "He's my best friend. I don't think I can ever _stop_ caring about him."

Through everything that'd happened so far, Archie held onto one thought: Cook. Even though Cook had shown what lengths he was willing to go, what lines he was willing to cross, Archie knew Cook only did those things because of the Darkness tainting his frayed mind. He just needed to get through to the boy Archie knew was still inside. "How do I get him back, though?"

Carly poked him in the ribs with a sharp nail. "You're hopeless, Archie. Haven't you ever noticed the way Cook acts when you're around?" A sigh escaped her when Archie gave her a confused look. "He cares about you a lot, Archie. Just reach out to him and _believe_ that Cook's still there, listening for your voice."

"You think that'll work?" Archie didn't know, didn't dare to hope, if Cook felt the same about him. The last thing Archie wanted was to irrevocably lose Cook. Archie just wanted Cook back in his life, in any capacity.

"I know it's gonna work, Archie. Because," Carly pulled a small silver and gold keychain from her pocket. "Cook asked me to keep this safe so he could give it to you, later."

The keychain was beautiful, and Archie's heart beat frantically as he took the token in his shaking hands. The keychain had a golden paopu fruit and a small silver guitar hanging from a brushed metal chain. Archie turned the paopu over and found his name engraved on the surface.

Archie almost dropped the token when it was enveloped in a ball of light and his keyblade burst to life in front of him. The glowing keychain shot from his hand and joined the dark metal hilt of Oblivion. Then the obsidian form of the keyblade melted away to reveal a polished metal surface underneath.

A feeling of warmth traveled through every inch of Archie's body when he grasped the keyblade's new hilt. Archie just barely heard the keyblade whisper a single word through their shared link. _Oathkeeper_.

  


"Cook!" Archie yelled out towards the dark form staring out towards the horizon.

The figure slowly turned away from the ocean, as if he was a god deigning to commune with a lowly mortal. Archie's heart froze when he saw the bone-chilling smirk on Cook's face. "He's much too weak to hear you now, Keybearer."

The way the spirit of Ansem made Cook's face shift into an arrogant sneer broke the spell and made Archie's blood boil with anger.

The fire in Archie's veins turned into molten lava when the presence controlling Cook put out a hand and summoned a ball of Darkness. Donald and Goofy let out shocked gasps when inky tendrils unfurled from the Darkness and wrapped themselves around every inch of Cook's body. The Darkness seemed to grow and bubble around Cook's body, before it evaporated in a haze of smoke and revealed something that definitely wasn't Cook.

Ansem's yellow eyes were glowing with amusement when Archie's own eyes met them.

Before Archie could demand to know what he had done to Cook, Ansem opened his arms and threw the entire world into Darkness. It was only because of Peter and Tinkerbell's training that Archie didn't fall into the endless Darkness when the ground melted away.

"You cannot defeat me here, where the Darkness is all consuming, Keybearer!" Ansem's voice rang out in the dark expanse. "You have already lost this battle."

There was a terrible roar that shook even the endless abyss and a monstrous creature rose up from the depths. It didn't look like anything Archie had fought before, and that was saying something. The towering hulk was organic and reminded Archie of a mutant stingray, but its sickly coloring reminded Archie of rotting meat. It even had what looked like a face, with a mouth brimming with sharp fangs the size of lampposts. Ansem looked as if he was merged with the monster at a cage-like structure on the creature's back.

Seeing Ansem's form, Archie ignored everything and went directly for him. To Archie's shock, Oathkeeper stopped in its tracks when it met the dark surface of Ansem's blade. Ansem sneered before he threw Archie back with a flick of his sword and shot a powerful spell at Archie's twisting body.

Archie barely bit back a scream of pain when the glowing ball of unstable energy slammed into his body. It felt like a live current of electricity was coursing through him, searing his skin and lighting up every pain receptor in his body, even some Archie didn't know existed. It was an eternity before Archie registered the cooling touch of healing magic.

Donald and Goofy regrouped around Archie, and even Donald made a concerned noise at the extent of Archie's injury. Even after the magic finished mending the worst of the damage, Archie's skin was still painful to the touch. Even though he was still in pain, Archie knew they didn't have the luxury of rest, not with Ansem and his creature advancing towards them, Archie drew his Keyblade again. 

Archie didn't get much further than the creature's deformed face before a swarm of smaller, yet still powerful, spells exploded over his entire body and he was hit face-first by the flat of the monster's spiny tail. The impact on Archie's already sensitive skin was like someone pouring acid on him. Archie's world went white-hot with pain and this time, Archie couldn't stop the scream from escaping his mouth.

When Archie opened his eyes as the last trickle of magic began numbing the pain, he was falling in the dark expanse. In a world with no end and no beginning, Archie knew he would never stop, he would just continue to fall until time ended. There was absolutely nothing he could do to stop or to get back to Cook. He was a failure.

The Heartless would get their fill of devouring the worlds.

_Archie!_

Forever in free-fall sounded like a fitting end for someone who doubted his light, his Cook. An unfinished trust-fall to go on for all eternity.

_Archie, don't give up!_

Something inside Archie stirred when he felt Cook's warm presence seep into his consciousness.

_Are you giving up already, Archie? I thought you were stronger than that! I believe in you!_

A surge of energy shot through Archie's body and soul at the force of Cook's voice. Archie gathered the final reserves of his strength and focused that bundle on flying. Everyone was depending on him to save everything they loved, and Archie wouldn't quit no matter what.

_Kick his butt, Archie!_

The Darkness made it impossible for Archie to tell which direction was which, but he felt a pull, like the attraction between opposite poles of a magnet, in his heart. Archie knew in his heart of hearts that the pull was Cook's way of guiding him.

It was Ansem's turn to be shocked when Archie shot up out of the churning Darkness. But instead of charging head-first into the fight like he'd been doing, Archie skirted the edge of the battlefield, surveying how both Ansem and the monster reacted to him. 

In the haze of adrenalin, he'd become blind to the first lesson he'd learned from Allen's training sessions. Sometimes a direct attack wasn't the best strategy. Sometimes, finding and exploiting a weakness was the only way to win the fight.

Just like Maleficent's weakness had been her bulk, Archie was betting on Ansem's weakness being the growths along the creature's spine. Archie noticed that they were the things that were casting the offensive spells whenever Archie went toward Ansem, and without them, the way to Ansem would be clear.

Timing his attack right after a barrage of spells, Archie charged head-long into the fray, weaving through bolts of magic. Archie knew his instincts were right when the number of spells thinned as he pressed home the attack.

Goofy and Donald seemed to notice the effect too, and dropped down next to Archie to help. Both looked worse for wear and Archie knew he had to finish Ansem before his friends ran out of steam.

Donald seemed to make the same conclusion and gave Archie a determined nod. "Leave these to us, Archie. You go after Ansem." Not needing to be told twice, Archie nodded and advanced towards Ansem.

Archie was ready for Ansem's immediate counterattack when he got near, and he rolled out of the way of Ansem's dual-edged sword when it swung down at him. The blade barely missed ripping into Archie's right shoulder, but the creature under Archie's feet wasn't so lucky. The creature let out an ear-splitting roar of pain when it's master's blade drove down into its back, and became lodged there. 

Seeing his chance when Ansem began channeling his magic for one final spell, Archie lunged at his enemy. Archie shut his eyes against the unbearably bright intensity of Ansem's spell, but didn't retreat. When the lance of energy finished forming in front of him, Archie dropped down onto the, now, unmovable weight of Ansem's sword.

Using everything he had, Archie pushed off from the edge of the blade and jumped, twisting to dodge the spell before turning his body back towards Ansem. Archie then brought his keyblade up over his head and drove Oathkeeper right into a spot where Ansem's body merged with the creatures.

As Archie withdrew his keyblade, the monster let out one final, choked cry and dissolved into fragments of light, leaving behind a critically injured Ansem. "You cannot stop me, keybearer," Ansem said, one arm draped protectively over his abdomen. "Behold, Kingdom Hearts!" Ansem stretched out his hand, spreading the darkness to reveal a gigantic gleaming door.

Archie grit his teeth and dove after Ansem's injured form, Donald and Goofy hot on his trail. He was determined to finish the job.

"Beyond it lie powers of Darkness beyond your imagination." There was an ominous creak as the Door slowly began opening. "All worlds are born from Darkness, and all worlds shall be devoured by the Darkness trapped within Kingdom Hearts!"

"You're wrong!" Archie yelled back. Just as his keyblade spoke to him, a voice whispered the truth into Archie's heart. "Even in Darkness, there's always light!" A sliver of light filtered out of the gap in Kingdom Hearts.

"Impossible!" Ansem cried angrily as the light engulfed him. There was a choked off scream as Ansem disappeared in a flash of light.

Archie didn't have time to panic that Cook wasn't returned to him following Ansem's defeat, not when the same voice was telling him that everything would be in danger if the Door truly opened and released the Heartless that were beginning to stir beyond the Door. 

The moment his feet touched the ground in front of Kingdom Hearts, Archie rushed towards the towering ornate Door. "We gotta close the Door, guys!" They needed to close the gateway before the horde of Heartless on the other side managed to slip through. Everything he fought for would have been in vain if the Door remained open.

Donald and Goofy scrambled forward to help, but the double doors stubbornly refused to close no matter how hard they pushed. Archie felt his strength slowly begin to falter as he struggled to push against the white door with his entire body. His friends weren't doing any better and Donald let out a desperate "we have to hurry!" when the writhing mass beyond the door drew closer.

Archie's muscles screamed in pain and he was close to giving up all hope, but a pair of hands shot out from the other side and grasped the door. The hands were human and Archie knew the owner of those calloused hands – Cook. "C'mon Archie, we can close the Door together!" Despite Cook's words, Archie's resolve to close the door faltered with the knowledge that Cook would be forever stuck in the Darkness if they closed the Door.

The slithering mass in the Darkness behind Cook hissed, like the sound water and fire meeting and creating steam. A spark of light appeared in the Darkness and _Oathkeeper_ hummed with happiness at meeting a sibling again. "Don't worry Archie." King Mickey announced. "There will always be a door to the light!"

Goofy gave Archie a sincere smile and told him he could trust the King, but what really strengthened Archie's resolve were Cook's eyes. They were both hard with determination and soft with trust. Archie swallowed and then nodded with an equal measure of determination.

The two halves of the Door began to slowly edge closer together. It was slow and frustrating, but Archie didn't, _couldn't_ , falter under the strain. Archie slipped and fell to his knees in front of the narrowing gap when the Door lurched forward and started closing by itself. 

When Archie looked up, he saw Cook looking down at him with a sad smile. Just before the Door closed with a great bang, Cook whispered a single phrase, "I love you, Archie."

  


_Where is Archie?_

The mass of Heartless turned their eyes towards him and watched, unblinkingly, for a second as he stepped out into the rain-drenched street. Sensing something about the hooded boy, the mindless shadows kept their distance. The nearest creatures hissed and turned away when twin orbs of light appeared near the teen.

The twin keyblades that materialized out of the light caught the Heartless' single-minded focus, and the creatures charged, losing sight of whatever had made them hesitate before. The Heartless were unfocused in their attack, every individual creature was scrambling to wrap clawed hands around the teen's echo of heart.

Their hunger made the Heartless predictable and the teen easily cut down the first wave when the horde rushed him. The surviving Heartless fell back, forming a loose ring around him. Believing their prey was now trapped; the creatures rushed forward to attack, only to fall back when the hooded teen fought back. 

Out of the corner of his eye, watching from the roof of one of the gray, concrete buildings, the teen saw his real target. Black hooded trench coat and fluttering blindfold over the eyes; there was no doubt that the lone figure was Cook. 

_My name is Xacheri._


End file.
